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Spider-Man Is Back On Top With Homecoming's $257 Million Opening

Surpassing even the most generous estimates, Spider-Man: Homecoming looks like it will finish its opening weekend with a sizable box office haul. Almost every year, Marvel Studios faces claims that it will finally have a box office bomb. While 2017 features a number of sure bets, many seemed to think Spider-Man fatigue could potentially hurt Homecoming. Luckily, solid direction, a charismatic cast, and a powerful villain story helped elevate Homecoming to heights the Spidey franchise hasn't seen in years. All told, critics and fans are showering the film in praise equal to Iron Man and The Dark Knight.

Thanks to a massive marketing campaign and those positive early reviews, Spider-Man: Homecoming is helping Marvel continue their track record and Sony Pictures land their first big hit in years. The Thursday and Friday numbers for the movie were some of the biggest of the year, while South Korea helped Homecomingdominate at the international box office. Though the full numbers won't be known until tomorrow, estimates are already in for how well Homecoming did at home and abroad this weekend.

Variety are reporting that Spider-Man: Homecoming is on track for a $117 million opening at the domestic box office. While tonight's numbers could tweak that a bit, the film looks poised to outshine the previous $90–110M ballpark figures. Meanwhile, Box Office Mojo currently has the film pegged for a $140M international haul, bringing the opening weekend global gross of the film to $257M.

For Marvel, the numbers affirm that bringing Spider-Man into the MCU was a smart move. It also means their merchandising of the character and film should go through the roof. Sony, meanwhile, now have their second biggest hit of all time, right behind the critically-derided Spider-Man 3.

While each Spidey film to date has done well at the box office, Sony hasn't posted the numbers they've been hoping for in years. Meanwhile, positive critical reception has eluded them since Spider-Man 2. This will also serve as a major victory for ousted Sony Pictures head Amy Pascal, who produced the new film and helped bring Spidey to Marvel Studios. All told, things are looking good for Venom and the other proposed spinoffs she has planned.

The next test for Homecoming will be how well it performs in the coming weeks. Wonder Woman has been especially impressive in how it's maintained a relatively low drop-off with each new week. If Homecoming can have the same momentum, it could give Marvel their biggest success to date. Given how many Easter eggs and comic connections are in the film, it's certainly the type of movie people will be going back to see again and again. Add in positive word of mouth and IMAX screenings, and Spider-Man: Homecoming will have more than earned its place as a key player in the MCU.